Brake-beam.



W. E. FOWLER, JR. BRAKE BEAM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16, 1908.

906,213: Patented.Dec.8,'1908 WILLIAM E. FOWLER, JR,

be rotatably adjusted '6-6 of Fig. 5.

j herein shown and described, and that they APPLIANCE COMPANY,

OF HAMMOND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOB TO SIMPLEX RAILWAY OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

" nofeoaeia.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. FOWLER, j Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at ammo'nd, in the count T of Lake and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Br'ake-Beams, of which the following is a specification.

'My invention has relation more especially to the brake-heads of railway car brake mechanisms and their means of attachment l to the brake-beam proper. It is desirable I to have such brake-heads readily detachable and adjustable angularly on the sleeves fitted on the beam. It is therefore the object of this invention to provide a construe tion of this character and with the functions specified, which shall be simple in structure, comparatively cheap to, manufacture, and! which will securely hold the brake-head from I longitudinal movement on the sleeve and with the proper angular adjustment. In the preferred form of the embodiments of my invention, the brake-head is split, has a bayonet-joint connection with the sleeve, and has a bolt binding together the parts of 5 the split portion of the head, whereby it may 1 on the. cylindrical sleeve to obtain the proper angular disposi I tion of the brake-shoe carried by the head.

On the accompanying drawing illustrating such embodiment of my invention, Figure l is an end view of a brakebeam equipped j with one of my improved brake-heads, the tension member being broken away; Fig. 2 is a face view of the construction shown in j Fig. 1, as viewed from the left of that figure; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of an end portion of the brake-beam with the head omitted; Fig. l 4 is a section of the brake-head alone on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig. 5 is a central l horizontal section through the end of the I brake-beam with the head omitted; and I Fig. 6 is a cross-section of the sleeve on line The brake-beam has the usual compression and tension members 10 and 11, respectively, 1 united at their ends by cylindrical encircling sleeves 13, each having at its inner end a l circular flange 1,4, and on its exterior cylindrical or convex surface a curved groove or slot 15 with lateral extensions 15 and 15? at its .two ends,-which extend longitudinally of I and to the end of the sleeve, forming open 1 Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed June 16, 1908.

Patented Dec. s, 1908. Serial No. 438,824.

mouths or entrances for the curved groove 15. This sleeve, as is customary, is held on the ends of the compression and tension members 10 and 11 by means of a nut 16 on the threaded protruding end of the tension rod 11. The brake-head 17' has a central cylindrical aperture 18 su plied with a square internal projection or DOSS 19 adapted to cooperate with the groove 15, 15 15*, the two forming what may be termed a bay onet joint, the projection or substantially the same dimensions as the groove mentioned. At 20 split, this part of thehead having a tightening or clamping bolt 21 passed through holes in the two portions of the head on opposite sides of the device, and adapted by means of its nut to securely fasten the .head on the sleeve and prevent its rotation thereon, as is readily understood.

To slip or slide the brake-head on the sleeve, the former is turned so that its inner projection or lug 19 will enterone of the open ends 15 or 15 of the slot or groove 15 as the head is pushed on to the sleeve. After having been pushed home, the head is turned angularly on the sleeve, the projection 19 then entering the curved, longer portion 15' of the groove until it is brought to the desired angular position, in which it may be clamped by tightening the nut on bolt 21. The manner of adjustment or removal of the brake-head is obvious from the above description, and needs no comment.

It will be observed that the bayonetjoint connection between the brake-head and sleeve or beam-eliminates all possibility of the head becoming accidentally displaced lon itudinally of the brake-beam, and that t l effectually prevents unintentional turning of the head on the sleeve.

It may be noted that this invention is not restricted to the exact structural features l. The combination or a b15 ":l')3 111, a split brake-head adapted to it a turn on said bralre-beam, a bayonet-john onnection between said brake head and brass-beam,

boss 19 being of the brake-head is re clamping or tightening nut engulsr position,

2*. The, combination of. a brake-beam, fa

sleeve on the; end ofseid brake-beam, a.

split brake-heed edaptedr'to fit and turn on' said sleeve, a. bayonet joint connection between said Intake-heed and sleeve, and means to elem'p said brake-head on'ssid sleeve"to maintain substantially as described. 3. The combination. of a brake-beam, a.

eylindrioal' sleeve on the end of said beam,

said sleeve having on its exterior surface a. curved groove extended transversely thereof,

the head in adjustedand having one of more entrance grooves communicating vtherewith extended, to the end of the sleeve, a split brake-heed with an internal rejection adapted to' enter and oo-act with t e walls of said curved-groove'to preventv lengthvvise'shifting of the head on the sleeve, and means-t0 elemyilsai'd head on' said sleeve to meintaid the 'e'ed in ad justed angular position, substantially ies desonbed. I

' WI LLIAM E. .FOWLER,.JR. Witnesses:

FREDERICK C. Goonwm, WALTER M. FULLER. 

